Deck-traveler.



PATENTED JULY 28 H. P. THORN. DECK TRAVELER.

APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1907.

wmv/wao HENRY P. THORN, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

DECK-TRAVELER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

,Patented .my 28, feos.

Application filed September 17, 1907. Serial No. 393,346. p

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that I, HENRY P. THORN, a subject of the King of England,and resident of New York city, borough of Manhattan, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Deck-Travelers, of which the following is aspecification.

On yachts and other sailing vessels it is customary to fasten to thedeck or other support a bar upon which the eye or ring of the lock ofthe main sheet or rope may slide back andforth as the vessel tacks orcomes about, but. with that construction .when the main sail jibes andthe block' sis-thereby carried quickly and forcibly across the rod ortraveler` there is danger of springing or breaking the boom or mainsheet and otherwise endangering the vessel, because of the suddenstoppage of the blockat the end of the bar. The object of my inventionis to provide a traveler that will ypermit the blockof the main sheet orother rope to slide or travel across the deck with resistance to obviatethe shock incident to thel swin ing of the boom during jibing, toreduce-t e strain on the parts and aid in 'preventing the breaking orending of the boom or the breaking of the main sheet or rope.

In carrying out my invention I provide al pair of cylinders located inline or opposed and secured upon the vessel deckor ,otherl suitablesupport, and I locate pistons or plungers Within said cylinders With apassage or bore vwithin said pistons communicating with said cylinders,and to said pistons I attach a block of the main sheetor rope, and

within said'cylinders and the passage of said kpistons I place asuitablefluid, such as lycerin, which will resist the movement o the pistons ineither direction and yet permit the pistons to move gradually therequired distance to the limit of their outward move-` ment in therespective cylinders.

My invention also com rises novel details of improvement that will emore fully hereinafter set forth and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyin drawings forming part hereof;wherein,

igure 1 is a plan View of-a deck traveler embodying my invention, andFig. 2 is a central section thereof.

`In the accompanying drawings the numerals l, 2, indicate suitablecylinders shown provided with bases 1, 2, adapted to be attached to avessel deck or other support, and at 3 is a piston the opposite ends 3aof which enter the opposed cylinders, and are adapted to'slide back andforth therein, all so arranged that when one piston end is at the outerend of one cylinder the other piston end will be near the inner end ofthe opposite cylinder, and vice versa. The bore 3b of said pistoncommunicates with both cylinders. Suitable nuts 4 and packing 5 closethe inner ends of the cylinders to keep tight joints as the pistonsslide. At 6' is a screw fitted to tube 3 and adapted to pass across bore3b to regulate the freedom of. flow of fluid through sald bore, and saidscrew may enter a socket 6, or fit firmly against the wall of the bore,to prevent the flow of any fluid therethrough. To the piston 3 is to beattached a block of the main sheet or other rope of a vessel, and forthis purpose I have shown said vpiston provided with an eye 7 to receivethe eye or ring-of the block. -Atthe outer-endsof the cylinders Ihaveshown caps 8 screwed thereon and provided with tapering plugs 9 shownextended into the cylinders and having threads or screws 9a, which plugsare adapted to enter the ends of bore 3b to control the flow'of fluidthrough such bore,and by adj us ting such plugs lengthwise of thecylinders the flow of fluid into bore 3b may be regulated as desired.With my improvements fastened upon the 1 Y deck or ot er part of avessel, and the cylinders and bore 3b of piston 3 filled with a suitablefluid, such as glycerin, and a block of a main sheet or rope attached toveye '7, the pressure from the sail attached to said block will causethe pistons to -move toward the adjacent or corresponding cylinder,whereupon fluid will be pressed out of such cylinder through bore 3 intothe opposite c linder, and each time that the block is shifted from oneside of the deck to the other the pistons will slide in their c lindersand'be resisted by the fluid in tile cylinder 4toward which the pistonsslide until such fluid has passed through bore 3b into the oppositecylmder. vIf the boom shouldswing suddenly from one side of the vesselto'the other, as when the sail jibes, the sudden strain on the blockcaused by the jibingwill be cushioned or `resisted by the pressure ofthe corres' ending piston against the fluid in its cyliner which willthereby be forced through 3l" into the other cylinder and ease the shockfrom the jibing. As the piston reaches the plug 9 the freedom of flow offluid Jfrom the I cylinder Awill be decreased gradually and therebycheck the shock of the piston coming forcibly against the cap 8, lor itsint-erposed packing 10. v

Changes may be made in the details of arrangement shownand describedwithout departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Having I claim-is: v

1. A deck traveler comprising a plurality of opposed cylinders, a pistonthe o posite ends of which are located in said cy mders and providedwith a passage communicating with said cylinders, and means forconnecting the piston with a rope.

2. A deck traveler comprising 'a pair of opposed cylinders, a iston theopposite ends of which are located in said cylinders, and spaced apart adistance less than the disnow described` my invention what tance betweenythe outer ends of said cylinders, andv rovided with a passagecommunicating wit said cylinders, and 4means to connect saidv pistonwith a rope. p 3. A deck traveler comprising a pair of opposedcylinders, a piston-havin opposite ends entering said cylinders, anhaving a bore communicating with said tylinders, means to connect saidpiston with a rope, and means to control the flow of fluid through saidbore. 4. A deck traveler comprising a pair of opposed cylinders, apiston having opposite ends entering said cylinders and having a borecommunicating with said cylinders, and means to connect said piston witha rope, means to control the flow of fluid through said bore, and ascrew carried by said piston adapted to be adjusted across said bore toregulate the flow .of fluid therethrough.

5. A deck traveler comprising a pair of opposed cylinders, a piston theop osite ends of which are located in said cylin ers, and provided witha passage communicating with said cylinders, and means at the outer endsof s aid cylinders to reduce the flow of fluid through said passage asthe corresponding piston end approaches the outer end of its cylinder.

6. A deck traveler, comprising a pair of opposed cylinders, a .piston4the opposite ends of which are located in said-cylinders and providedwith a passagei communicating with said cylinders, and plugs at theouter ends of the cylindersada'pted to enter said passage t0 reduce theflow of iluid therethrough as the corresponding piston end approachesthc outer end of its cylinder.

7. A deck traveler comprising a pair of opposed cylinders, a piston theouter ends of which are located in said cylinders and provided with a.passage communicating with said cylinders, taper plu s at the outerends of the cylinders adapte( to enter said passage to reduce the flowof fluid therethrough as the corres ending piston end approaches thevouter en of its cylinder, and means for adjustin said plugs 1n thedirection of the axes ol t ie cylinders.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York, and State of NewYork, this 13th day of September, A. D. 1907 HENRY P. THoRN.

Witnesses: T. F. BOURNE,

MARIE F. WAINRIGHT.

